Every bit of skin that was pressed up against Aiyana was tingling and she smelled good - really good. He probably didn't, although he couldn't smell himself so maybe it wasn't too bad. It was awkward trying to use her as a crutch, but he wasn't about to complain.

"Aiyana, I...what's he doing here?" Nate said from the top of the stairs.

Cliff tensed - if it had been him, he'd be fighting to keep himself from attacking anyone touching his mate.

"He hurt his foot. I think it might be broken. I'm helping him downstairs. Can you see if Mimi has some ice?"

"Wouldn't it be better if I help him downstairs?"

"Hurry and we can both help him down the stairs."

Nate flashed his blinding smile. "Sure."

Cliff waited until Nate had disappeared from the bottom of the stairs before he spoke his mind. "That's not normal."

"What's not?"

"Leaving you here with me. A male wolf is very protective of his mate. He should have at least growled at me."

She nudged him with her shoulder. "Not everyone is like you Cliff. Nate is a very gentle wolf."

"Wimpy you mean?"

"Muscles aren't everything."

"So you admit my muscles are bigger than his?"

"Are they? I hadn't noticed."

She was teasing, but it still hurt. "I can manage the stairs by myself - handrails."

"Sure. Let me go first. I think I remember seeing some crutches in a closet downstairs."

She slipped down the stairs so fast he was afraid she was going to fall down the stairs, then the coercion kicked in again and he swung down the stairs so quickly to catch up to her that he nearly did fall. Just shut-up. I'm working on it. I got her down the stairs, didn't I? The force didn't listen. Despite the pain he felt with every hop, the force compelled him to keep moving toward her even if he had to hop all the way.

"It's broken all right, in several places. What on Earth did you do, Cliff?" Doc asked thirty minutes later.

He shook his head. He wanted to tell them, desperately, but he couldn't even get his mouth to open.

"Why did you run off? Did you see something?" Alpha Miguel asked behind him.

He managed a small nod before the force cut him off. He had, in fact, run off because he saw Nate and Aiyana, not because of what he saw later, but only he and the force had to know that.

"What did you see?"

"I saw..." he tried again to them but his lips clamped shut.

He must have made a horrible face trying to open his mouth because Doc intervened. "Miguel, the boy's in pain. Let me get him fixed up, then you can talk."

"It might be too late by then."

"Just assume the worst and go from there."

"It'd be nice to know what the worst is," Alpha Miguel grumbled, but he backed away.

Doc smiled down at him. "All right Cliff, here's what I'm going to do. Your bones have started knitting themselves together already, but not properly. I'm going to have to operate to fix them. If you were human, I'd put in some screws but since you aren't, I'm going to use something much more temporary and you won't be able to move your foot at all for a while, not until your bones grow back together enough to hold themselves in place. I'm going to give you something to block the pain, then Aiyana and I will start getting you cleaned up, okay?"

He was more than agreeable, but then the coercion hit him at full force and made him sit up and search out his target. There she was, in the corner of the room, watching him with wide eyes. Someone, Doc was pushing on him, trying to get him to lay down again, but he pushed the older man's hands away like they were a child's. Several people were yelling, but he couldn't understand them for the blood rushing through his ears. He put his foot down on the floor and nearly fell over from the pain, but the coercion didn't care. Aiyana's face shifted to determination and she came to him. He grabbed her wrist, just as determined not to let her get away again. She winced at his grip, but she didn't back away. Instead, she touched his face with her other hand and he felt another force, her force, buffeting his mind. "Lay back down Cliff."

He wanted to, he really wanted to, but the force that controlled him was stronger than what she was using. It was telling him to drag her to the door.

"Lay down Cliff, now!"

He closed his eyes in relief as her command overrode the one in his head.

"Now sleep until I tell you to wake up."

He obeyed willingly, praying that she wouldn't wake him until morning.